Strange Life of a Cat
Chapter 346 - Chapter 346 Chapter 339 Pharaoh

Chapter 346: Chapter 339 Pharaoh Chapter 346: Chapter 339 Pharaoh Hiding one’s ineptitude is a skillful act, and to conceal one’s cleverness by appearing clumsy without showing off one’s talents is what Zheng Tan has always pondered.

When Zheng Tan joined Xiao Guo’s studio, he often heard the staff talk openly in his presence, including criticism, and they would gesticulate and speak their minds, thinking Zheng Tan couldn’t understand and didn’t care. Of course, now they wouldn’t dare.

Back then, Zheng Tan knew the difference between an ordinary domestic cat and those more attractive, expensive breeds. Sometimes, the more eye-catching breeds didn’t need to do anything in front of the camera to draw attention, but the ordinary ones had to do more.

Whether in front of the camera or behind the scenes, one always needs extra resources to compensate for innate shortcomings. Concealing one’s weaknesses under the camera and presenting a better side to the audience is what Zheng Tan learned from pet photography.

Of course, hiding one’s shortcomings and flaunting one’s strengths seems to be an essential skill for celebrities. Knowing how to smile, to what extent, and which profile looks better are all things they understand well.

Why do so many runway models, especially those with their own exclusive lighting designs, make it a point to maintain a good relationship with the lighting technicians?

Every model has strengths and weaknesses, and each face is unique; different lighting effects can either highlight their features or expose their flaws. Surrounded by cameras on the catwalk, besides makeup, lighting is a crucial factor for capturing perfection.

A suitable angle and gaze, plus the right lighting, can significantly enhance the effect of showing off. Posing for the camera is a skillful act, and over the years, Zheng Tan has become very proficient at it.

There are many actors with talent, and there are also animals with acting skills that can deceive humans with training, like the famous monkey Qi. Acting skills? Indeed, they exist, and Qi’s performance is more vivid than other monkeys; other monkeys might merely imitate human actions and expressions after training, while Qi incorporates its emotions into the performance.

But in Yang Yi’s view, Zheng Tan is different. During the last documentary shoot, Yang Yi noticed it, probably because he was used to selecting celebrities and even though it was just a cat on camera, Yang Yi didn’t miss those small details, like Zheng Tan’s subtle techniques on camera. Sometimes it’s difficult to associate this cat with a common domestic cat, it looks ordinary, yet still feels different from the usual domestic cats one sees.

This is also why Yang Yi values Zheng Tan; perhaps, Zheng Tan himself doesn’t even know that his small actions have been noticed.

There were reasons for considering Zheng Tan in the development plan for becoming a superstar.

What a pity…

Yang Yi lay on the recliner, looking out the window, contemplating the possibility of luring that cat over.

On the other side, Zheng Tan squatted, expressionlessly watching the three people blocking the door, neither meowing nor moving; just watching.

There it was, that look again!

Charlie, who was blocking the front gate, wore a conflicted expression. He had to be; if he stepped back, they would feel uneasy, but if he didn’t, he felt enormous pressure under such a gaze. Every time he saw that look, he felt a chill down his spine.

Not even Charlie and the other two could shake off the sensation, but they had promised Boss Guo to keep an eye on this cat.

Recalling the scene of Boss Guo losing his temper, the three men who were just about to move their legs put them back again.

Zheng Tan continued to stare at the three men with an expressionless face. He had been here for two days already, the weather today was pleasant, and filming wouldn’t begin until tomorrow. Besides, there weren’t any scenes involving him at the start, so Yang Yi told him to take a few more days to adjust to the new surroundings, “Cats need time to adapt to a new environment” or something like that; Zheng Tan wasn’t sure who it was that had spoken to Kong Han and Yang Yi. So now Zheng Tan had plenty of free time–he didn’t even need to read the script. Charlie had already gone through the play, and when the time came, there would be someone to instruct him step by step on how to film, without the immense pressure that other actors faced.

Whenever he had nothing to do, Zheng Tan felt like going out for a stroll. It was his first time in this city, and he felt he would be letting himself down if he didn’t take a proper look around. Yet, just as he was about to open the door, the three men discussing the TV series on the sofa whooshed over to block the entrance, signaling that Zheng Tan was not allowed to leave.

Originally, there were five people, but two were called away by a phone call from Kong Han, leaving only three behind. With three people around, Zheng Tan couldn’t easily slip by. He constantly felt like he was being watched, a feeling more constricting than when he was filmed for the documentary.

His mood was very foul.

Charlie, of course, could see this, which was why he was in a dilemma. He knew all too well that when the cat was in a bad mood, it could easily start trouble, no matter what kind of trouble, and it certainly wouldn’t be something they’d like to see.

In the end, having no other choice, Charlie called Xiao Guo to “seek instructions.” They couldn’t just stand off like this indefinitely, right? If they didn’t come to terms, the cat could zip out the door on its own in an unguarded moment, and they had to constantly worry if it had snatched up the keys. Among those present, only Charlie knew that Zheng Tan could use keys to open doors, so he was aware that simply blocking the way wouldn’t work; they needed to negotiate.

After seeking instructions from Xiao Guo, Xiao Guo directly called Mr. Jiao, and Charlie received new orders. He pulled out a box from the set of supplies the Jiao family had prepared for Zheng Tan. In the box was a cat card; on the back of the cat card was a contact number, and the front displayed a large “Z.”

Zheng Tan: “…” When did Mr. Jiao put that on? And, what is this thing made of? He even carved a “Z” on it!

Zheng Tan knew that this thing should be trackable, similar to the cat card Mr. Jiao gave him when they traveled far, but Zheng Tan hadn’t expected Mr. Jiao to get a new one because he changed his stage name.

With the cat card on, Charlie led Zheng Tan outside, followed by the other two who had nothing better to do. It was their first visit to this Coastal City too, so they might as well take the opportunity to see more of it.

This time, he wasn’t wearing the uniform “Z” outfit, which was a bit more casual and made Zheng Tan breathe a sigh of relief. That whole line of “Z”s always felt so corny; he fretted over how others might react to it.

Taking the elevator down, it stopped at the eighteenth floor, where a man and a woman got on. The pair frowned at the sight of the three men and one cat in the elevator. The man, upon seeing Zheng Tan, looked disgusted and seemed about to say something, but the woman beside him pulled at his sleeve and they turned back to giggling about some amusing stories.

Charlie and the other two moved subtly, positioning themselves to shield Zheng Tan behind them.

There weren’t many people taking the elevator at this time, so it wasn’t overcrowded and the descent was quick.

After reaching the first floor, Zheng Tan walked out of the elevator.

The strange man slowed his steps deliberately and, at the moment Zheng Tan stepped out of the elevator doors, he lifted his foot and tried to step on Zheng Tan’s hind paw.

Zheng Tan sensed something amiss and quickened his pace, as the person’s leather shoe scraped against Zheng Tan’s tail and stepped onto the ground.

After walking quickly for a few steps, Zheng Tan looked back at the person who had already put on sunglasses, but the expression on his face revealed a hint of regret for not having stepped on something.

After glancing at that person, Zheng Tan immediately followed Charlie to where they had parked.

Unlike other celebrities who have chauffeur-driven cars, the car they could drive now was lent by Yang Yi; it didn’t look like a luxury car, but those in the know could tell it had been modified and its safety features had been upgraded several levels.

After learning they were going out, Yang Yi had reminded Charlie not to venture too far and to call him directly if anything came up.

Charlie chose the nearest square, which incorporated leisure and entertainment, and it wasn’t too far from where they were currently renting–just over twenty minutes’ drive away.

Because the temperature was not high, the car windows were open.

Charlie was driving, with Zheng Tan in the passenger seat, and the other two in the back.

Zheng Tan watched the buildings and scenery outside the window, the breeze carrying a mix of exhaust fumes and a hint of the sea.

“Woof woof!”

A dog’s bark came from behind.

Zheng Tan looked back and saw a dog in the car diagonally behind them poking its head halfway out the rear window, looking around, and only barked after spotting Zheng Tan.

Initially, Zheng Tan ignored it.

However, it seemed the owner of that car was feeling playful and accelerated to match their speed, positioning the rear window of their car level with Zheng Tan’s side.

“Woof woof woof!”

The dog barked at Zheng Tan, apparently smelling something, and even sneezed.

Fuck!

Snot had sprayed out!

Zheng Tan lifted his hand to wipe his face, glaring at the dog opposite with unfriendly eyes.

“Holy moly! It’s a Pharaoh! It’s really a Pharaoh! That’s a rare breed in China! Hey, Charlie, focus on the road, pay attention to driving!”

“That dog looks pretty good, definitely worth no less than fifty thousand,” Charlie said with a quick glance before continuing to focus on driving.

“With that look, I’d say it could be a hundred thousand or even more,” another person commented.

They knew a lot about pet cats and dogs, and could estimate roughly how much they were worth just by looking at their lineage.

Zheng Tan didn’t care whether it was a Pharaoh or the King of Rats; he really felt like punching it a few times.

Pssh, it’s even wearing a gold necklace. I dare you to wear a gold earring too!

Perhaps the other car’s owner did it on purpose, and Charlie wanted to get a better look at the dog, so both cars drove smoothly, with the dog continuously barking at Zheng Tan, its paws resting on the window and moving as if it wanted to reach out.

Zheng Tan’s gaze upon the dog with the gold necklace was growing more dangerous.

Not only did you spray my face with snot, but now you want to use your paws?!

So, when the two cars were closest, Zheng Tan leaned out halfway, reached out, and slapped the other dog’s face.

The dog in the opposite car probably did not expect Zheng Tan to suddenly do that, and since the slap was quite painful, it was stunned but quickly became angry, trying to lunge out of the window, only to be pulled back by the person inside the car. No joke, they were driving; lunging out now? That would be courting death!

The two people in the rear seats were so startled by Zheng Tan’s action that their hearts leapt into their throats, quickly urging Zheng Tan to sit back down and not to lean out, as it was dangerous.

Charlie also slowed down, distancing their car a bit from the other.

“Damn, that really scared the hell out of me just now.” One of them patted his chest, having thought that Zheng Tan was about to jump out; with cars behind them on the road, such an act would be suicidal.

“That fancy car in front seems to be owned by rich people, do you think they will hold a grudge?” asked another worriedly from the back seat, noting that someone in that car had taken a photo of their car with a cellphone.

“They probably… won’t, right? It was just a cat’s slap, wasn’t it?” (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.NovelFire.net.)

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